Discover Ripon

Get to know Ripon: the city combines museums about social and police history with gardens, market life and paths alongside waterways. For planning your visit, the themes are easy to distinguish: the museums offer an introduction to former institutions and everyday court proceedings, while the paths take in landscapes along the River Skell and Ripon Canal. Which aspects you focus on depends on whether you are particularly interested in history, garden culture or nature.

Museums and Ripon’s history

The Workhouse Museum in Ripon is one of the best-preserved Victorian workhouses in Britain. Visitors can follow an inmate’s journey: from admission in the Guardian’s Room, through baths and fumigation, to the cells where vagrants slept. This sequence takes you through various stages of everyday life in a workhouse of the time.

The Prison & Police Museum is housed in the former Ripon Liberty Prison, which later became Ripon Police Station. Its exhibition covers the history of policing in Yorkshire from Anglo-Saxon times to the establishment of the professional police force. A photographic identification activity adds an interactive element for visitors to the historical account.

At the Courthouse Museum, visitors can learn what happened in a courtroom in the 19th century and discover the Liberty of Ripon. They can also stand in the dock in the courtroom, connecting the historical context with a firsthand perspective on the role of the accused.

Gardens, market and townscape

The Workhouse Kitchen Garden grows historic crops using gardening techniques from the 1860s. Ripon Walled Garden was once part of the Bishop’s Palace; it includes a plant nursery, an old orchard and a woodland area. The descriptions emphasize different features: here, the focus is on historic growing methods, while there it is on the combination of a nursery, orchard and woodland.

A market featuring craftspeople and regional produce is held in Ripon’s market square every Thursday. The Ripon Obelisk also stands there: designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, it has stood in the middle of the market square since 1702. The historic monument and weekly market life come together in the same place. Market dates may change, so check the current date before your visit.

Paths along the River Skell and Ripon Canal

The River Skell feeds water into the Ripon Canal basin. One stretch of the canal runs alongside a wetland for waterfowl; the Navigator’s Walk follows the Ripon Canal and offers encounters with diverse wildlife. Ripon Scenic Cruises offers narrowboat trips on the canal. If you are planning a trip, confirm availability in advance.

The paths differ in the landscapes and stops described. The Canal Walk starts outside Ripon Town Hall and follows the Ripon Canal through the Yorkshire countryside and urban surroundings. The City Centre & River Skell Discovery Trail passes historic buildings and the Spa Gardens, as well as a wildlife corridor along a stretch of the River Skell.

The Hell Wath Nature Trail follows the River Skell through woodland clearings, meadows and hedgerows. Hell Wath is home to more than 400 plant species. The routes described therefore offer different experiences: the town and its historic buildings, the canal and its surroundings, or the green spaces and plant diversity of Hell Wath.

A regional landmark

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a short drive from Ripon. It adds a distinct regional focus to the city’s themes.

Discover more destinations: Selby, Clapham, Spofforth, Otterburn, Gilling East, Hawnby, York, Gristhorpe

For the main travel overview: North Yorkshire.